RESTAURATEUR WAS INTEGRAL PART OF YMCA BRANCHES

Sandy Saxten was a law student in San Francisco in the 1960s when he and friend Rob Thibaut embarked on a three-month adventure eating their way through Europe. Returning home, they began plotting their future in the restaurant business.

“First, we decided we loved restaurants,” Mr. Saxten wrote on the website for TS Restaurants, which boasts 13 eateries in Hawaii and California, including Jake’s Del Mar. “We liked the people, the upbeat tempo, and the variety of the business skills required to succeed.”

Mr. Saxten died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease April 21 at Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas. The Rancho Santa Fe resident was 68.

Born John Alexander Saxten on June 11, 1945, in Annapolis, Md., he was the younger of two children to John and LeClaire Saxten. He received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a law degree from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.

He and Thibaut formed the Rusty Scupper restaurant chain and built it up to 17 sites in nine states before selling it to Stouffer Hotels in 1975. Two years later, they founded TS Restaurants, beginning with Kimo’s in Maui.

Mr. Saxten moved to San Diego in 1982 and opened Jake’s Del Mar, which quickly became a popular post-race watering hole. Thibaut, who remained in Hawaii, died in 1998.

Mr. Saxten was a staunch supporter of Reality Changers, a tutoring program dedicated to creating first-generation college students.

“The business advice he was always willing to provide a nonprofit like Reality Changers definitely went far beyond any donation that he has given to the program in terms of its value and importance and longevity to the impact of the program,” said Chris Yanov, founder of Reality Changers.

For his strong involvement in area YMCAs, the YMCA of San Diego County honored Mr. Saxten in 1996 with the Golden Triangle of Distinguished Service. In 2001, he received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Human Dignity Award.

He joined the board of the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in 1987 and was board chairman from 1994 to 1996. As chairman, he oversaw the launch of a capital campaign, the groundbreaking of a gymnasium and athletic center and the building of speed soccer and roller hockey arenas, among other projects.

Susan Hight, executive director/vice president of the Ecke Y, described Mr. Saxten as “a tremendous part of our history” and a personal mentor when she took over the organization’s leadership.

“I learned more business skills from him than from anyone or any school could teach,” she said. “He was a giant.”

In 1997, Mr. Saxten joined the board of the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA and was on its roster until 2002, still attending meetings in later years when his health permitted. He was the driving force for getting the Y built in its current location and would come to meetings with napkins covered with drawings of how he thought it should look, said Michael Brunker, executive director of the Robinson Y.

He also helped increase the managing board from 10 to 60 members and launched a $16 million capital campaign to fund the Y’s new wellness center, which will be named for Mr. Saxten upon its completion.

“He was the ultimate servant leader, always looking to spend his heaven doing good on Earth by serving others,” Brunker said. “He was constantly looking beyond his own season of service by preparing the next generation of leaders, including myself.

“He had the big-picture view of what was going on and a tremendous penchant for customer service. He was always willing to be the first one in and the last one out to make sure things were done the right way.”

Mr. Saxten is survived by his wife of 36 years, the former Dana Horton, of Rancho Santa Fe; a sister, Joyce Sallan, of Lincoln, in Placer County; sons Jack Saxten, of Whitefish, Mont., and Graham Saxten, of Encinitas; and a daughter, Susie Saxten, of San Francisco.

Services have been held. The family suggests memorial donations to the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA, 151 YMCA Way, San Diego, CA 92102.